At least 17 people were killed during clashes in the village of Oregomel, located in Chad’s Mayo-Kebbi West province, local authorities on reported Friday.
The government’s general delegate to the province of Mayo-Kebbi West, Abdelmanane Khatab, announced measures to curb insecurity in the province after visiting the village on Friday.
Most of those who were killed were women and children, and 16 others were injured in the clashes in which fighters were armed with machetes and clubs.
The clashes took place barely hours after the country’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno held an emergency meeting on security following deadly clashes in the Central African nation.
According to reports, “More than 50 people have died in the country in intercommunal clashes since May.”
Intercommunal clashes are common in Chad, usually caused by dispute over land and political differences.